The Bearded Lady Who Became a Saint: The Strange Tale of St. Wilgefortis скачать в хорошем качестве

The Bearded Lady Who Became a Saint: The Strange Tale of St. Wilgefortis

Download a FREE SAMPLE of my newest book - "Rending the Veil, Beginning the Journey of Intimacy with Your Creator" and more! - https://taplink.cc/ken.arrington Buy me a coffee and support the channel! - https://ko-fi.com/kenarrington Join our Patreon for extended cut videos, a free Bible History course, original music and more!   / awaketodream   Sign up for IN-DEPTH courses here! - https://www.revealedministries.com/co... The Bearded Lady Who Became a Saint: The Strange Tale of St. Wilgefortis The tale of St. Wilgefortis, the crucified bearded lady, is one of the most peculiar stories in Christian Church history. According to legend from the 12th and 13th centuries, Wilgefortis was a teenage noblewoman from Portugal, promised in marriage to a Moorish king. To avoid this unwanted union, she took a vow of virginity and prayed to be made hideous. Her prayers were answered when she spontaneously grew a beard, ending the engagement. Enraged by the monetary loss, her father had her crucified. Due to this miracle and her sacrifice, she was soon venerated as an intercessor for women seeking liberation from abusive husbands. Men also revered her, finding a place for her in the Devotio Moderna movement, even though she was never officially canonized by the Church. The name "Wilgefortis" comes from "virgo fortis," Latin for "courageous virgin." In England, she was known as Uncumber, and she was venerated across Europe, including Germany, Poland, and France. In iconography, Wilgefortis was depicted similarly to Jesus on the cross but wearing a dress or long robes. Sometimes she was confused with Saint Liberata, also allegedly crucified around the same time but without the beard. Her story gained popularity in the 14th to 16th centuries, with a feast day on July 20th. A carving of Wilgefortis with a beard exists in Westminster Abbey's Henry VII Chapel. Despite her popularity, her cult was quietly suppressed in the late 16th century. However, veneration persisted in regions like Bavaria, Austria, France, and Belgium. A 16th-century statue in Saint-Etienne, Beauvais, depicts her in a blue tunic with a beard. In 1969, the Catholic Church officially eliminated her feast day, declaring that Wilgefortis never existed. Art historians theorize that her legend arose from misunderstandings of androgynous depictions of Jesus in the 11th and 12th centuries. As these images spread across Europe, discomfort with the effeminate portrayal of Jesus led to the creation of St. Wilgefortis to explain the imagery. This story of Wilgefortis is a fascinating example of how art, legend, and cultural misunderstandings can merge into one of the most bizarre tales from Christian history. It reminds us that history is not just about facts but also about the stories we create to make sense of what we see. #wilgefortis #christianhistory #churchhistory